A New Team
by Mourning Star under the Moon
Summary: Can a new group of mutants forge a team at Xavier's Institute? Or will this group of new mutants find that they can't work together?
1. Chapter 1, Healer

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men! I only own Karla Kalida as of this chapter, and I will let you know of any other characters who are OCs as the chapters come up!**

**Chapter One: Healer**

Karla watched as trees whizzed by. She was riding in a sleek car, being driven off to her new school. Her new school is the one that she would be living at for most of the school year. It was called Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

The car she rode in turned, and drove through open gates. Karla looked forward to see the huge mansion that would be her home for the next few months. Fear and wonder grew in the pit of her stomach. What would these strangers be like?

Karla looked at her gloved hands. She had elected to wear them, as her mutation was far from harmful. She just couldn't control them, and everyone freaked at her touch because they could feel her energy flowing quickly up their arm, or into their body.

When the car stopped, Karla climbed out of it. The breeze was cool, as it was early autumn. Karla went to the trunk of the car to pull out her bags that held all of her possessions that she had brought with her.

The woman who had driven her to the Institute came back to help her carry her things. Karla shrugged. It didn't matter to her if Ororo Monroe helped her with her luggage or not.

"Follow me," Ororo commanded gently. She led Karla into the building and up a set of stairs and into a bedroom. "This will be your room. You may end up with a roommate, but it'll be yours for the time being. I'll send a student to show you around," Ororo told the shy girl kindly.

Karla nodded as Ororo set the item she was carrying down. Karla watched as Ororo left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Karla sighed, and looked around. The room had two of everything: two closets, two beds, two nightstands, two dressers, and two desks.

Keeping in mind what Ororo had told her, Karla selected one side of the room to be hers. She unpacked most of her clothes, and some of her personal items. The only thing she had left untouched was the case that held her guitar.

As Karla carefully set the picture of her family on the nightstand next to her bed, someone knocked at her door. Karla glanced at the door, and decided she wouldn't ignore it. Besides, Ororo had told her that she'd send someone to show Karla around.

A peppy-looking girl stood near her door. As she saw Karla, she gave her a big, welcoming smile. "Hi! I'm, like, Kitty Pryde. I'm going to be your tour guide," she explained cheerfully.

"Oh. Hi," Karla said blankly. While one of her friends had been like this peppy girl, she hadn't expected it here at a school of mutants. _Just goes to show you can't generalize,_ Karla thought with an inner grin.

"Follow me! Your Karla Kalida, right?" Karla nodded. "You'll, like, totally love it here," Kitty assured the girl as she led Karla down the hall. The girl yammered on about why Karla will love it here as they continued down the hall.

Karla wanted to say 'But I loved it where I was!' But she didn't. Her life would never be the same, even at home.

As Kitty led her down another hallway, a girl walked out of one of the doors.

"Hey, Kitty!" the brown-haired girl called cheerfully. "Who's the stranger? Is she the new girl Ororo brought here?"

"Yeah, she is," Kitty giggled. "Her name is Karla Kalida. Karla, this is Armara," Kitty introduced.

"Hi," Armara responded, holding out her hand to shake Karla's. After a moment's hesitation, Karla took it.

"Hi," Karla mumbled.

"What's your mutation?" Armara wanted to know.

Karla shrugged. "It's unimportant," she sighed.

Her sigh must've been a signal to the two that she wasn't in the mood to discuss or even think about her powers. Kitty told Armara that she was showing Karla around, and she'd better get back to showing her around. The two friends said goodbye, and Kitty led Karla off in one direction, and Armara went in the other.

Karla noticed Kitty didn't chat as much as she had earlier, and wondered why. She suddenly realized that she was being a touch bit grumpy, and immediately was ashamed of it. But she couldn't tell this stranger girl what was on her mind. She couldn't even consider her a friend yet, and you never spilled your guts to a person who is almost a complete stranger.

Silence spread between the two, and the only time either of them spoke was when Kitty told Karla where each hallway led off to.

Kitty was feeling worse as she led the new kid down the halls. She had hoped for an exuberant new student, but instead the new girl was more like Rogue than she had expected. She was even wearing gloves like Rogue did. And Kitty couldn't help but wonder why.

As she led the strange girl down into the main entrance, she saw Jean and Scott. Hoping she could convince Jean to lead the Rogue-like girl around, she bounced down the steps.

"Hey, Jean! Hey, Scott! Have you met the new girl yet?" Kitty called.

Karla stared at the girl who had gone from happy to quiet to exuberant, and couldn't believe it. How could _anyone _be as hyper as Kitty Pryde?

The redhead turned and watched as Kitty came happily down the stairs. The tall boy she had been talking to looked up, his eyes hidden behind a pair of red sunglasses.

"No, I haven't. Why don't you introduce her to me?" Jean suggested, smiling up at the girl who shyly moved to follow Kitty down the steps.

Jean's first impression of the girl was that she was shy. Her second was that the girl was wearing gloves, which happened to be a strong trademark of Rogue's. The idea made Jean wonder what the girl's mutation was.

"Of course I will!" Kitty giggled. She glanced up at Karla, who was about halfway down the steps. "Karla, this is Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Jean, Scott, this is Karla Kalida," Kitty introduced cheerfully.

"Hi," Karla greeted softly. At this point, she didn't care who she met as long as this "tour" was over, or over soon.

"How are things going?" Jean asked kindly.

"Uh… well. Things are going well," Karla answered, a little taken back.

"How is your tour going?" Scott asked.

More prepared this time, Karla replied shyly, "Fine. Kitty's a good tour guide."

Unnoticed by Karla, Kitty looked at the girl in surprise. Karla had hardly made any hint of satisfaction on the trip around the place. Jean and Scott noticed Kitty's look, however.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Jean stated cheerfully. "Enjoy the rest of your tour, and it was nice to meet you!"

With an inner sigh, Kitty banished the hopes that Jean would finish the tour. _Besides, _Kitty thought,_ Karla isn't that bad. She's just shy._

---------------------

That night, Karla returned to her room to find a folded outfit on her bed. The note pinned to it said,

Tomorrow at 6:30 A.M., there is a practice session which we would like you to participate in. Kitty will show up ten minutes prior to the session to help you find the right place. Please wear this uniform to the session.

Ororo

Karla unfolded the uniform, and sighed. It was mostly black, but had yellow and black patches on the sides of the shoulders that were in the pattern of an 'X' on each side. The black belt was rimmed with yellow, and the buckle was another black and yellow 'X'.

_Do they really need me? All I can do is heal… what use is that? _Karla wondered, frowning at her uniform. _Well, I can't escape it, so I guess I'll have to go._

Resigned to the fact that she would have to, Karla went to bed, setting her alarm for 6:00. She liked to wake up and play her guitar in the mornings… _Although_, she thought as she drifted to sleep, _I might accidentally wake someone else up…_

_--------------------------- _

Karla woke up, not only to her own alarm clock, but to the cacophony of everyone else's alarm clocks. One, Karla noted as she put on her uniform, was accompanied by a crashing sound.

Kitty arrived punctually, dressed in what Karla though was a cool uniform compared to her own bland one. There was a blue upside-down triangle on her chest with a large collar of the same color. It was much nicer than Karla's plain black one.

"Are you, like, ready?" Kitty asked cheerfully.

_Even this early in the morning, she's cheerful,_ Karla thought bemusedly. "Yeah," she answered, smiling shyly at the girl. "What is… this training session about?"

"It's where we, like, practice team skills in different scenarios with different leaders. I don't think you'll be picked as a leader today, since you're, like, new and don't know anyone's powers," Kitty assured Karla, beginning the descent to the Danger Room. Spotting a chance to ask Karla about her powers, Kitty added, "I can, like, walk through anything. What's your powers?"

Surprised and slightly embarrassed, Karla realized that she had never told any of them her powers. "I can heal, at really fast speeds," Karla answered softly, looking away.

"That's, like, totally cool! Logan, one of our instructors, has the same ability," Kitty giggled. Remembering Karla wore gloves, Kitty was struck at how odd it was that she wore gloves. "If you, like, don't mind me asking, why do you wear gloves? Have you, like, always worn them?"

Karla looked down at her gloved hands. _Well, I suppose I would've had to tell her anyway,_ Karla thought sadly. She closed her eyes, and pulled off her glove. "I'll show you," she told Kitty, opening her eyes. Hesitantly, Karla touched Kitty's face.

It was her first time in a month, touching someone skin to skin. After the first two times after her powers appeared, she'd started donning gloves. Karla felt an almost pleasant tickling sensation in her fingers. Her powers never drained her, which had always surprised her.

Kitty gasped and jerked her head back, raising a hand to touch the spot that Karla had touched. Miserable, Karla looked at her feet.

"Kitty, are you okay?" a harsh voice not immediately recognizable as Scotts demanded. Karla closed her eyes, on the verge of tears. At the same time, she pulled on her glove.

"I'm… totally fine," Kitty said in surprise. On an impulse, Kitty pulled up her sleeve to check a cut she'd gotten the previous day in a Danger Room practice session. She couldn't explain why she did this, but it answered a question that was haunting both Kitty and Scott.

"Isn't that where you had got cut yesterday?" Scott asked, frowning.

"Yeah…" Kitty looked up at Karla, who was standing like she'd just had her heart broken, although she wasn't looking at either Kitty or Scott.

Kitty met Scott's eyes and jerked her head towards Karla, who did not notice the silent exchange. Scott nodded slightly. "Listen, Karla, I'm sorry for getting so upset. I was unsure of your powers, and I had no idea what was happening," Scott explained. Karla looked up at him in surprise. "One of our other students has the ability to absorb other people's powers and life force, which is what I had thought was happening here. I'm very sorry." Unsure of what else he could say, he finished by saying, "I'll meet you both in the Danger Room."

Scott hustled away, leaving Kitty wondering what to say to the now very confused Karla. "Listen, we have to be, like, really careful around here. Since no one knew your powers, Scott, like, totally assumed the worst," Kitty explained soothingly. "C'mon, if we don't hustle, we'll, like, totally get in trouble."

And, without any more problems, they found their way to the Danger Room.

**Please Review! I would appreciate suggestions!**


	2. Chapter 2, Twin Trouble

**Chapter 2, Twin Trouble**

Ahira Calcin watched trees whizz pass the train. She and her brother Cole were taking the train to a train station near Bayville, NY, where they were to meet some woman. Their mother, Linda Calcin, had called up an old friend as soon as the two had gotten home two days ago. Linda explained that she thought it best to send them to her old friend, since he was an expert at training new mutants.

Of the two, Cole was having the most trouble controlling his ability. Every now and then the train, and all of its non-mutant occupants, would freeze. That meant that everyone on the train, as far as Ahira and Cole could tell, froze for a moment or two before Cole realized what he'd done and unfreeze them.

Ahira hoped things would go well. Her brother was just getting over being dumped, though she had to admit the actual event had been very hectic and embarrassing.

_**Flashback**_

Ahira grimaced as she walked over to the table. She was a waitress at Trader Duke's at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington, VT, and her brother and his date had just been assigned to her section. Her brother was going out with the new girl, some girl named Lily Wade. Since Lily was a new girl to town, she didn't realize that Cole's friendliness and familiarity with Ahira wasn't because of a past relationship between the two.

It had culminated when Cole had gone to the bathroom coinciding with Ahira delivering their main courses. Lily had started berating Ahira, treating her like she was a two-faced slut who was going after another girl's guy. Ahira hadn't had a chance to get in a word, let alone able to explain to Lily that the only relationship between Cole and Ahira was that of brother-sister.

The words stung as Lily spat out word after hateful word. Finally, it was all Ahira could do to stay standing there. She wanted nothing more than to run, or disappear.

And at once, she got her wish. Lily started screaming that her waitress was a mutant the instant Ahira disappeared, her entire body and outfit invisible. Ahira panicked, trying to figure out what to do, when Cole returned.

His reaction was that of demanding Lily where Ahira had gotten to, his face full of worry and fear. Lily's instant reaction was to snap out of her fear of her 'mutie-freak waitress' and to demand which he preferred – a non-mutant, beautiful young woman, or a mutie-freak two-faced slut.

"What are you talking about? Ahira's not a two-faced slut – Mom would kill her," Cole frowned at Lily, wondering what the girl was talking about.

"What's your Mom got to do with that slut?" Lily demanded. Ahira shrank back, avoiding people as they rushed out of the place in fear of the mutant – Ahira.

"Hey! That's my sister you're talking about!" Cole yelled at Lily, his face contorting with anger. Lily's stunned face suddenly froze in place. Ahira and Cole stared around as everyone froze as well. And just as suddenly, Cole could see a hazy, ghostlike image of his sister. "Ahira! What happened to you?"

Ahira looked down – to her, she was normal with just the faint glimmerings of something that was probably her being invisible. "I turn invisible, Cole," she answered firmly, not as frightened now that everyone was not able to hear her or freak out. "Let's go home right now –before things get worse! We're both mutants, Cole!"

_**End Flashback**_

Ahira sighed. It had been after the two had gotten home that Lily had called Cole and broken up with him. She wasn't sure what reason Lily gave to her brother, but it was harsh enough that he didn't want to talk about it.

She just couldn't wait to get to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. She'd heard lots of things about it, though she suspected that a lot of the negative things she'd heard had come from mutant-haters. Charles Xavier had always been a friend of Ahira's mother, who was a very good psychologist. If Ahira wanted to be honest, it was rumored that Dr. Linda Calcin was the best psychologist in Vermont.

Linda had met Xavier when the two had been in college together. Her mother had befriended the man before she met and fell in love with Dylan, Ahira's father. Linda had maintained the friendship, even after mutants had become headline news. Ahira had once overheard a conversation between her parents in which Linda explained that she had always suspected that Xavier was beyond the normal – his ability to psychoanalyze people had been astounding. It had been one of the reasons Linda had become such good friends with the man.

Ahira sighed gratefully as the train finally pulled into the station. Ahira and Cole grinned nervously at each other as they gathered up their belongings – about three bags each – before heading to the exit. They were supposed to met Xavier and a colleague here before heading back to their school.

Ahira and Cole had both met Xavier when they were about eight or so. Her memories of the man were of a kind and caring man who seemed to be grateful to have her mother and father as friends. Ahira also remembered that he had been there for Christmas, and got her the present that she secretly wanted, something she hadn't even told her mother she wanted.

Ahira smiled as she spotted Charles Xavier before she bumped her brother with the duffel bag she was holding in one hand. Cole jumped, and every non-mutant in the surrounding area froze.

"Darn it!" Cole groaned. "I'm sick of doing that!"

"That's all right, Cole," Xavier called as the white-haired woman beside him looked around herself in amazement. "That is one of the reasons your mother wanted you to come to my school. Why don't you unfreeze everyone else, and we'll get your stuff into the car?"

Cole grimaced before he concentrated, and everyone started moving again. Cole kept his concentration up as the two worked over towards Xavier. Ahira was careful as well – she didn't want to disappear again in the middle of all these people if she could help it!

She grinned once they were standing right next to the two. "Hello!" she greeted Xavier, unsure on what she should call him. Her mother had introduced him as 'Uncle Charles,' but since she hadn't seen him in almost eight years, it didn't seem entirely appropriate. "It's been a while," she added shyly, glancing at the white-haired woman. Cole just nodded, his face still full of concentration.

"Yes… it's been eight years, hasn't it?" Xavier mused, smiling at the two. "You certainly aren't the young girl I remember, Ahira. And Cole, you look like you're going to be taller than your father."

"I'm hoping so, Uncle Charles," Cole grinned, letting some of the concentration go.

"Charles, how do you know them?" the white-haired woman wondered, looking between the three in puzzlement.

"Ahira and Cole are the children of a very good friend of mine, whom I have not seen in person in a good eight years. I believe the last time I saw her was at Christmas time, and she made me feel a part of the family," Xavier replied with a smile. "I will explain further, but first let us get to the car. I would hate for a problem to arise now."

"Of course, Charles," the woman responded instantly, leading the way back to a black Mercedes. She helped Ahira and Cole put their things in the trunk before helping Xavier into the front seat.

Ahira sat behind the woman as Cole sat behind Xavier. "How is your mother doing?" Xavier smiled at her as the woman started up the car.

"Mom's been doing well. She's had a lot of patients, but she says that she's lost a lot of them – they felt they didn't need her anymore," Ahira answered thoughtfully.

"Not that Mom goes into details about her patients," Cole added, not wanting anyone to think that their mother broke client-patient confidentiality. "But most of the old patients who stop coming to her stop because they don't need her anymore."

"A sign of a good psychologist is when patients don't need them anymore," Xavier commented wisely. "Forgive me for not introducing you earlier, but this is Ororo Monroe, one of the teachers at my school."

"It's nice to meet you," Cole stated instantly. "I'm Cole Calcin, and this is my twin sister, Ahira."

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you," Ororo responded, her eyes still on the road as she drove onward. "Charles, you were going to explain on how you know Cole and Ahira."

"Of course," Xavier nodded in agreement. "I met their mother, Linda, when we were both in grad school. She was studying to be a psychologist, and as you know, that was one of the fields I was interested in. We soon became very good friends – I was even her best man at her wedding."

"You look really different in those photos," Ahira commented shyly.

"I believe I was standing in those photos," Xavier chuckled, long since over his injuries that removed his ability to walk. "That, of course, would make a rather large difference in my appearance."

Ahira giggled at that. "I would say!" Cole laughed. "Hey, that reminds me – what should we call you? I mean, you're practically family, but since we're now students… what should we call you, Uncle Charles?"

Xavier smiled at that. "It would surprise my older students to hear you call me 'Uncle Charles.'. Most of my students call me Professor, but I wouldn't mind it if you decided to continue calling me 'Uncle Charles.' You'll have to do the explaining, though," he added with a chuckle.

Cole grinned. "I could do that, easy," he answered. "I'm pretty much fearless."

"Cole," Ahira argued, "You shouldn't say such things. People might take that as a challenge to scare you."

"One of the other teachers at my school _would_ take that as a challenge," Xavier chuckled.

"He would indeed," Ororo grinned over the top of her steering wheel. "He would go out of his way to terrify you, just to prove that you are not fearless."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Cole rolled his eyes. "When are we there, anyway?"

"Right now," Ororo answered as she pulled into the driveway to a large mansion.

"Welcome to the Institute for Gifted Youngsters," Xavier called back, a smile on his face.

-----------------------------------

Karla looked up at the knock at her door. She was looking over her class schedule again to be sure she knew which classes she had and where, though she had the feeling she'd still get lost. _Life can be so hard when I don't know my way around!_ She sighed as she called out, "Yes?"

"Karla, you're new roommate is here," Ororo called through the door. "Why don't you come over and greet her?"

"Okay," Karla agreed, getting up from her desk. Ororo had warned her earlier in the day that she would be getting a new roommate, though she couldn't remember the name of her new roommate at all. Karla opened the door to reveal the tall African-American standing next to a girl about Karla's height with black hair and grey eyes. "Hi," Karla greeted shyly, wondering what was going through the other girl's mind.

"Hi," the girl blushed shyly. "Uh… I'm Ahira Calcin," she murmured, a small look of concentration on her face.

"I'm Karla Kalida – do you need any help with those bags?" Karla asked, eyeing the three bags Ahira was holding precariously.

"That – that'd be great," Ahira nodded, handing one of the bags over.

"I'll leave you to get settled. Karla, do you think you know you're way around well enough? Or should I send someone up to give Ahira a tour?" Ororo asked.

"I think I know my way around well enough, Ms. Monroe," Karla answered firmly.

"What about Cole? Who's going to give him a tour?" Ahira asked, looking up at Ororo.

"The Professor will have Kurt or Scott give him a tour," Ororo answered easily. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself here, Ahira."

"Thanks," Ahira murmured before she moved into the room she now shared with Karla.

"So who's Cole?" Karla asked curiously, deciding to shed her shyness since Ahira was going to be her roommate.

"My twin," Ahira answered firmly if still shyly. "Uncle Charles is bringing him to his room."

"Uncle Charles?" Karla blinked. "Uh… You're related to the Professor?"

"No, but he's a good friend of my Mom's – I think they almost consider each other as a sibling," Ahira admitted shyly. "The last time I saw him was eight years ago around Christmas time… He got me the present I really wanted, but I hadn't told anyone about…"

Karla burst into giggles at that. "Around the Professor, if you think loudly enough, he'll hear you!" she laughed. At Ahira's puzzled expression, Karla elaborated, "He's a telepath. He probably didn't mean to hear what you wanted, but accidentally 'overheard' it."

"Oh…" Ahira blushed, and finally lost the internal battle she always seemed to have when she blushed.

"Whoa!" Karla jumped, tripping over the bag behind her. "Ow…" she groaned as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm so sorry!" the still-invisible Ahira exclaimed, gripping Karla's arm to help her up.

"Okay, that's almost worse than when Kitty pops in!" Karla noted as the invisible girl helped Karla to her feet.

"Hey! I'm, like, not that bad!" Kitty exclaimed from the open door. Karla looked over (and accidentally through Ahira) at the door. "And who are you, like, talking to?" Kitty added, looking around the room in search for Ahira.

Ahira blushed darker, but was still unnoticed by either of them.

"My new roommate, Ahira," Karla answered with a grin. "Uh…" Karla looked around, trying to spot the invisible Ahira. "Ahira? Are you still here?"

Ahira nodded before realizing that no one could actually _see_ her, let alone see her nod. "Y-yes," Ahira stammered, hanging her head in shame as she realized she didn't want to return to being visible in front of at least the strange girl, Kitty.

"Wow! Like, that's so totally cool!" Kitty exclaimed, looking in the general direction of Ahira's answer. "It's, like, so cool to meet you!"

Ahira blushed, but was starting to calm down. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to return to visibility in front of Kitty, but it was starting to look like there wasn't much of an option here. Carefully, Ahira returned to visibility. "Thanks," Ahira stated shyly, looking at her feet.

"Ahira, this is Kitty Pryde. Kitty, this is Ahira Calcin," Karla introduced, looking between the two girls with a bemused expression on her face. "So what are you doing here, Kitty? Just wanted to meet the new girl?"

"What can I, like, say?" Kitty grinned. "It's always, like, fun to meet new people!"

"Have you met her brother yet?" Karla asked with a smirk.

"Not yet!" Kitty grinned. "Do you, like, need help giving Ahira a tour?"

"No, I think I can handle it just fine, thanks," Karla responded. "Didn't I hear that you had a big project due Monday?"

Kitty groaned. "Don't, like, remind me! I, like, guess I should go work on that assignment… It was, like, great meeting you, Ahira!" Kitty grinned at the girl before skipping off.

"So," Karla began, turning back to Ahira. "What do you want to do? Unpack first? Or a tour?"

"Uh… I think I'd prefer to unpack first…" Ahira decided, picking up a bag and setting it on the bed that was hers.

"Want some help?" Karla offered as she shut the door. Some things just weren't supposed to be seen by guys, particularly undergarments.

"Sure," Ahira smiled shyly at Karla. _::Hey, Cole, you in your room yet?::_ she called down a psychic link the two had noticed after arriving home that fateful day.

-----------------------------

_::I'm already half-way through unpacking,::_ Cole answered with a grin. They weren't telepaths by any set of standards, but they could 'talk' to each other in a telepathic manner. _::You?::_

_::I just started unpacking. I had to meet my new roommate first – her name's Karla Kalida,::_ Ahira answered, projecting an image of her new roommate.

_::Huh. She's cute,::_ Cole commented. _::I've got to say, it's a good thing we aren't racists.::_

_::Tell me about it. I think Karla was worried, at least a little bit, about that when I arrived. But honestly, why would we be racists?::_ Ahira wondered.

_::Beats me – anyways, I've got to pack. Uncle Charles says he'll have someone come and give me a tour later on. I assume your roommate is going to give you yours, so you don't have to worry about unpacking, but _I_ do!::_ Cole chuckled.

_::I'll leave you to it, Cole!::_ Ahira agreed. He couldn't say that she 'left,' but there was a feeling of 'silence.'

Cole grinned. He and Ahira had always been able to sense the other, but ever since they discovered their mutant powers, this psychic connection had appeared. He knew it didn't expand past his sister, but it was very useful all the same. He and Ahira had always been extremely close. He sometimes felt like he and Ahira were one spirit in two bodies. Of course, their personalities were very different, but Cole didn't let that get in the way of how he felt about his twin.

Cole looked over at the door when he heard a knock. He glanced at the bag he was mostly finished unpacking before he headed over to the door. That bag was the last one he had to empty, which made him feel like he actually accomplished something.

He opened the door to see a tall, brown-haired boy with red-tinted lens. "Hi," Cole greeted with a smile, taking the initiative. "I'm Cole Calcin," he added, offering his hand to the teen.

The teen raised an eyebrow as the boy shook Cole's hand before smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Cole. I'm Scott Summers," he introduced himself. "Are you ready for a tour of the Institute?"

"Yeah, I am," Cole grinned at Scott. "I'm almost completely unpacked, so it shouldn't take more than five minutes to finish up, and that can wait 'till later. What's with the shades?"

Scott grimaced. "I can't control my powers," he explained. "I basically shoot lasers out of my eyes, and these special lenses allow me to see without blowing up everything I try to look at."

"Ah… that makes sense," Cole noted. "It can't be fun to be wearing red-colored glasses all the time. I couldn't imagine trying to go through a whole day with those."

Scott seemed relieved at Cole's reaction. "It's very hard," Scott agreed with a smile. "You can't imagine all the problems I get into from having to wear them all the time. I basically have to guess at the color of anything I look at based on the shade of red it is."

"Kinda like those old-fashioned, black-and-white movies, only in red?" Cole guessed.

"Yeah, kinda like that," Scott agreed. "C'mon, let's get this tour going," he added as he began to lead Cole away from his room. "Where are you from?" Scott asked curiously.

"Burlington, Vermont," Cole answered. "Mom works at the local hospital in addition to her own clinic, so we needed to be close to Fletcher Allen."

"What does your mom do?" Scott wondered, one eyebrow cocked at the slightly shorter boy.

"She's a psychologist," Cole answered. "One of the best in Vermont," he added proudly. "Dad's also a doctor – he works in the Vermont Children's Hospital."

"How far does he have to travel?" Scott asked.

"Not very far at all – the Fletcher Allen actually houses the Fletcher Allen Hospital as well as the Vermont Children's Hospital," Cole answered with a grin. "Ahira always says that we've got a lot to live up to, what with both of our parents being doctors."

"Ahira?" Scott frowned.

"My twin sister – I'm sure we'll run into her at one point. She's here, too," Cole smirked. "But don't embarrass her – she might disappear on you!"

"What kind of power does she have?" Scott asked, trying to figure out what Cole meant.

"She turns invisible," Cole answered. "More than that, we have no idea. We had one heck of a problem when we both discovered our powers, but Ahira more so than me. Jeez, that still pisses me off," Cole scowled. "That lowlife ex-girlfriend of mine had to insult my sister so bad, she turned invisible at work! And not only did Ahira lose her job, she had to forfeit her last paycheck because of all the business they lost because of everyone running out of the restaurant! Damn it, I _still_ want to hit that two-faced jerk in the face!"

"Sounds like you had a hard time when your powers manifested," Scott commented with sympathy. "It sounds almost as bad a time as my own."

"Yeah, well, I bet yours was worse than Ahira and mine," Cole grimaced.

"Most likely," Scott chuckled as they rounded a corner to run into a short, black-haired boy. "Oh, sorry, Kurt!"

"Zat's okay," the boy responded instantly, looking curiously at Cole.

Cole instantly offered his hand. "I'm Cole Calcin," he introduced himself. "I'm one of the two newest students here… at least that's what Uncle Charles says."

"Vat!? Das gibt doch nicht! You are related to ze Professor?!" Kurt gasped, staring at Cole in shock. Cole glanced at Scott, who had an equally bewildered and shocked face. Cole let his hand fall to his side, since it seemed that Kurt was too shocked to shake his hand.

"Not exactly – he's one of my Mom's best friends. They went to school together, and I think my Mom thinks of him as a brother. When Uncle Charles last visited us, that's what we called him – Uncle Charles," Cole explained. "He's like family to us, but we're not really related."

"Das gibt doch nicht," Kurt muttered. "I vonder vhy ve never heard of you before..."

"The Professor doesn't have to tell us about his family or his past, Kurt," Scott pointed out firmly.

"Ja, I know," Kurt sighed. "I vas just shock zat Cole called ze Professor 'Uncle Charles.'"

"He said I could if I wanted to," Cole put in with a grin. "I just had to be prepared to explain it. I don't know if my sister will call him that, but if I do, she'll likely feel that it's okay."

"You have a sister?" Kurt asked, interested.

"Yes – she's my twin, Ahira," Cole answered. "We found out we were mutants at about the exact same time."

"Really? Zat's cool!" Kurt commented with a grin.

"And this way is the boy's dormitories," they heard a female voice that Kurt and Scott recognized as Karla's state calmly. Karla and Ahira walked around the corner to spot the three boys. "Oh, hey guys. This is Ahira Calcin, my new roommate," Karla introduced. Ahira blushed but winked at her brother. "Ahira, this is Kurt Wagner and Scott Summers. And…"

"Her brother, Cole," Cole put in calmly, grinning.

"It's nice to meet you, Ahira," Scott smiled at the shy girl, who was staring fixedly at her feet in order to avoid accidentally disappearing again.

"Ja," Kurt agreed. "It's vonderful to meet you."

"Hi," Ahira looked up and smiled shyly before refocusing on her feet. "Same here."

"I'm Karla Kalida," Karla added, introducing herself to Cole.

"I know," Cole grinned. "Ahira and I have a telepathic link," he added by way of explanation when everyone stared at him, to Ahira's private relief. "After she met you, we 'talked' for a bit, and she projected an image of you to me."

"You're telepathic?" Scott frowned at the boy. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"That's because I'm only telepathic with Ahira," Cole rolled his eyes. "If I tried to read your mind, I'd fail. Miserably." _::They seem to have something against telepaths,::_ he commented to Ahira.

_::They shouldn't. Uncle Charles is a telepath… maybe he just worries about what you might have accidentally overheard,::_ Ahira suggested.

_::Ah, that makes so much more sense,::_ Cole agreed with a mental grin.

"Zat could come in handy," Kurt commented with a grin. "Vell, I've got a test on Monday, so I'll see you later!" he added before teleporting away.

"Whoa, that reeks," Cole complained, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Scott smiled at that. "It takes a lot of getting used to. So you never got around to telling me what your power is, Cole."

_::What, did you tell him my powers but not your own?::_ Ahira wondered, giving Cole the impression that she was grinning at him.

_::Maybe,::_ Cole smirked back. "I don't completely understand it myself, but I basically can freeze non-mutants… like I freeze time or something. But whatever it is I do, it doesn't affect mutants," Cole answered with a shrug. "Like I said, I really don't understand them myself. Ahira's powers are easier to understand."

"Those do sound complicated," Karla agreed. "It'd be nice to know more about them… like if you have a radius around you when it happens, and how people outside of it are affected."

"I think we can assume that, whatever the radius, people outside it are unaffected," Ahira volunteered shyly, her voice very soft.

"Uncle Charles says he's going to help me figure it all out soon," Cole added with a shrug. "He says it looks like my radius is maybe a mile, though. I don't know what happens to the people outside of it, though…"

"Fascinating," Karla commented. "Well, we should finish our tour… Should we join up? Or go separately?"

_::Probably separately… so I can get to know Karla better,::_ Ahira told Cole firmly.

Cole had to grin at that. It was at times like this that he realized how different in personality the two of them were. _He_ would have had to no trouble saying that aloud himself, but Ahira was far too shy to do so herself. "It would probably be best to do it separately," he said aloud, winking at Ahira. "After all, you're Ahira's roommate, right?"

"Yes," Karla looked at him in slight surprise. Scott, who had about to say something before Cole had spoken up, was also looking at Cole in surprise.

"Well, it's easier for Ahira to open up on a one-on-one basis," he explained. "And I'm not afraid to try and make new friends. So basically, I'd do all the talking even if you tried to get Ahira to talk."

"Shouldn't Ahira be telling us this? Instead of you?" Scott wondered, his glasses glinting slightly.

Ahira blushed and disappeared. Cole sighed as Scott stared at where Ahira had disappeared. "That's why I do the talking when we're together," he told Scott, his voice slightly annoyed. "Ahira knows why I say what I said. It's true. Besides, it was Ahira's idea to go separately."

"Really?" Karla blinked, glancing at where she hoped Ahira was. "Well, I guess we should head off then… Have fun on your tour with Scott, Cole, and nice meeting you."

"Same here," Cole smiled, deciding he liked Karla already. _Maybe some of that assertive behavior will rub off on Ahira… _ he hoped. He watched as Karla started heading off, before stopping. Since only Cole could see Ahira, he was the only one of the three who knew that Ahira was following Karla. _::You should reappear,::_ he told his sister as Karla looked around.

_::I know…::_ Ahira mentally sighed before reappearing.

"Oh, good, there you are," Karla grinned at the shy girl. "Come on, let's go past the boys dormitories and then see the library." Scott and Karla noted how Ahira perked up at that, and Karla led the girl off in the direction that they had been heading when they had first bumped into Scott, Kurt, and Cole.

"So your sister likes books?" Scott commented with a raised eyebrow at Cole.

"I think the word 'like' is too mild a word," Cole chuckled. "She'll probably become a doctor like our parents, just out of her need to know things. She loves learning, and reading in general. I think it's safe to say that she may spend most of her time in the library than any other place here."

Scott had to laugh at that. "If she quotes Shakespeare, she'll fit right in," he joked. "Dr. McCoy tends to 'haunt' the bookshelves, especially the Shakespeare section."

"Oh, boy," Cole blinked before chuckling some more. "I bet the dinner table is going to be filled with lots of poetry or book quotes from now on, if we can get Ahira to open up some more."

Scott groaned, half in jest. "There goes our normal dinners!"

Still laughing, Scott began to finish the tour of the Institute.

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**Author's Notes:**

**First off, yes, Ahira and Cole Calcin are new OCs. This story will consist of seven new OCs, three of whom are already introduced. I may add in OCs from my other X-Men Evo story if I get requests for them. That being said, you can suggest any of my characters from Plant Girl: Rose Ann Moss. I'd also take suggests for characters from the comics, though my knowledge in that area is limited.**

**Secondly, I decided it'd be fun to have Ahira and Cole know about Xavier beforehand, and the idea of making them call him 'Uncle Charles' was too much to resist... So I created the friendship between the twin's mother and Xavier to explain everything.  
**

**Thirdly, I thought you might like to know codenames for the three already introduced characters:**

**Karla Kalida - Chi (and no, I'm not referring to a character from Chobits - 'chi' is universal energy, and if channeled through means like Reiki, can be healing energy)**

**Ahira Calcin - Blush  
**

**Cole Calcin - Freeze**

**A quick disclaimer: I don't own X-men, the characters, or anything associated with Marvel. I do own my OCs - please don't take them without permission. (I'm willing to lend out my OCs, by the way.)**

**Fourth, thank you to my two reviewers, KoolxKisame and Karysa Mercury!  
**

**Finally, please review! I need reviews for inspiration!  
**


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